OUR COVER STORY
CREDITS ON
STAGE, FILM,
TELEVISION
Filipinos’ shining star
rising to the challenge
AN ACTOR’S passion for appearing in stage
plays, film, and television has inspired him
to script, star and produce an independent
feature film of his own.
FELINO DOLLOSO, top picture, in a scene from the fi lm Survive Or Die. Bottom picture of Dolloso is
from a scene in the stage play Kabesang Tales.
www.kalatas.com.au
Felino Dolloso’s screen play script is ready.
His cast is on standby. And his technical team
of cinematographer and technicians are on
board for the project.
“Now we’re soliciting backers and
sponsors to make the project come to life,”
Dolloso says.
To be sure, it will be the first feature film of
its kind in Australia, written and produced by a
Filipino-Australian with a cast of Filipinos and
a Filipino-Australian in the lead role.
At this point in time, Dolloso ranks as the
only active Filipino-born actor in Australia
with stage, television and film credits.
The working title of Dolloso’s film is ‘The
Good Filipino’.
It is a story about a young Filipino-
Australian male looking for guidance in life.
He tries to find direction from a long-lost
uncle who comes from the Philippines to visit.
But is it the direction he is looking for?
The main characters are Noel, his uncle tiyo
Ferdi, and Noel’s partner Tess.
The story set in the present, in Australia.
It will be a full-feature film with a running
time of 80 minutes.
“Our plan is to start filming in 2018,”
Dolloso says. “Hopefully our production team
would have raised the funds required.”
At press time, Dolloso was to appear as
the lead character, ‘Kabesang Tales’, in Floro
Quibuyen’s stage play by the same name
at the Blacktown Arts Centre on Saturday,
September 9, 2017.
Tales was a farmer who turned rebel
against abusive Spanish friars on the time.
The Good Filipino will not be Dolloso’s first
and only feature film. He appears in the movie
Survive Or Die, a story about asylum seekers.
The film which is scheduled for Sydney
screening in December 2017.
Dolloso also played a lead role an
independent feature film, A Happy Homeless
Man.
He honed his scriptwriting skills with two
short plays and three short films; one was ‘Let’s
Shoot Max Instead’ which won an award.
Dolloso's theatre credits include Coup
D’etat with Bakehouse Theatre, A Quiet Night
in Rangoon at the New Theatre, Havana
Harlem at the Sydney Fringe Theatre,
Cabesang Tales at the Blacktown Arts Centre,
Capricornia at the Belvoir St Theatre, and
Empress Of China with Belvoir St Theatre.
His Television credits include Better Man,
Maximum Choppage, House of Hancock,
Hyde And Seek, Wanted 2, Packed To The
Rafters, Spirited, Spirited 2, All Saints MRU, and
Answered By Fire.
His film credits include Balibo, Mother Fish,
Candy, Ra Choi, Survive Or Die, The Adventures
Of A Happy Homeless Man, Suppose The
Night Tasted Like Sugar, Seeing The Elephant,
Callabona Red, The Devil’s 6 Commandments,
The Fence, It’s About Survival, Immigrants And
Cigarettes, Let’s Shoot Max Instead, and The
Dealer.
The Manila-born actor holds a bachelor
of Arts degree from University of Melbourne
and now work in the field of human resources
in Sydney.
Dolloso’s parting words: “I want to
continue working in film with a view toward
inspiring others - Filipinos and the world at
large - to appreciate and stand proud of their
culture.” n
AK NewsMagazine, Vol 7 No 12 | SEPTEMBER 2017
05